Vol. 2 - April - No. 23
The Tennessee Valley Authority
Storage Dam and Powerhouse
Norris, Tennessee, 1936
No gesture has been wasted. The bold diagonals of the huge dam, the sober rectangles of the reinforced concrete powerhouse and the finely etched lines of the transformers combine to form one of the monuments of our civilization.
Architects were for too long dreamily content with the application of "tasteful" superficial ornament to the daring construction of the engineers. Sometimes their decoration grew so bold that it swallowed up and denied the structure beneath. Almost any skyscraper is evidence.
Modern architecture has brought a new set of values, dependent for their realization upon the complete collaboration of architect and engineer. There is no better example than the work of the Tennessee Valley Authority and this early group at Norris.
learn more about this fascinating subject:
New Deal Network: TVA History
A Reign of Harmony: Le Corbusier and the TVA
Norris Dam Historic Photo Collection
The Tennessee Valley Authority: History
Virtual Tour of the Tennessee River: Watts Bar Dam
